SUNY New Paltz is collaborating with the SUNY Office of Higher Education in Prison (OHEP) and Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison on a new program that promises to increase access to higher education for incarcerated people in New York State.
The local initiative expands on SUNY’s Higher Education in Prison program to connect a dedicated team of full-time New Paltz faculty, who have completed comprehensive training in prison education, with a cohort of students at Green Haven Correctional Facility who will have an opportunity to pursue their bachelor’s degrees in sociology.
All participating students have successfully completed their Associate of Applied Science in Individualized Studies through Columbia-Greene Community College, a program launched by SUNY and Hudson Link in 2023 that has since graduated 46 students. Through this new initiative, these students will now have an opportunity to continue their higher education with 21 additional credit hours leading to a four-year degree.
SUNY New Paltz President Darrell P. Wheeler said: “SUNY New Paltz is committed to providing access to high quality public education for all New Yorkers. I want to thank our partners at OHEP, Hudson Link, Green Haven Correctional Facility, Columbia-Greene Community College, and the many faculty and staff here on our campus who have leveraged time and expertise to expand educational opportunities for these motivated and accomplished learners.”
SUNY Office of Higher Education in Prison, Executive Director Rachel Sander said: “We commend New Paltz for joining the growing number of SUNY campuses extending educational opportunities to incarcerated New Yorkers and providing a much-needed SUNY bachelor program in this region of the state.”
Columbia-Greene Community College President Victoria L. Walsh said: “SUNY New Paltz allows our students to continue their academic journey. We are incredibly proud of each of our graduates who now have a first-class option to continue their studies. I am grateful for the partnership with President Wheeler and all the faculty and staff at SUNY New Paltz.”
Lila McDowell, executive director of Hudson Link, said: “Education is a powerful tool for transformation, and we are privileged to witness the remarkable resilience and scholarly zeal of our students in the Green Haven Program. The chance to earn a bachelor’s degree from SUNY New Paltz is set to make a lasting impact on their current and future lives as they reenter society.”
“My prayer for higher education was finally answered in 2022 when Hudson Link and Columbia-Greene came to this facility,” said Jose R, a New Paltz student currently at Green Haven. “By spring of 2023, I graduated as valedictorian of the first graduating class, and I’m excited and honored to now be accepted into the SUNY New Paltz bachelor’s program. I am looking forward to the academic challenges ahead and to being an undergraduate enrolled in one of the finest post-secondary institutions in the state. Thank you, Hudson Link and SUNY New Paltz, for the opportunity. I look forward to earning my degree and proudly calling New Paltz my alma mater.”
“This opportunity to earn a B.A. from SUNY New Paltz through Hudson Link represents a chance to elevate me both mentally and spiritually, a beautiful prelude to the day I leave these walls,” said student Albert S., also currently at Green Haven. “When that day comes, I plan to turn this education into a meaningful contribution to our community to express my gratitude to Hudson Link and SUNY New Paltz.”
SUNY New Paltz Provost William McClure said: “Our University brings a long history of student-centered teaching to the statewide Prison Education Program. With support from SUNY and our program partners, our academic faculty have enthusiastically stepped into this work, providing a clear example for how public higher education directly serves the public good.”
Joel Jimenez, program director at Hudson Link, said: “Pursuing a college degree while incarcerated is incredibly challenging, and our students at Green Haven have demonstrated their readiness to rise to the occasion. I am thrilled that we can now offer our students the benefits of a bachelor’s degree education from our partners at New Paltz, who clearly understand the value of our work behind the walls.”
About Hudson Link
Hudson Link, based in Ossining, New York, is a nonprofit organization committed to providing college education, life skills, and reentry support to currently and formerly incarcerated people. The organization aims to empower these individuals to make positive impacts on their lives, families, and communities.
About the SUNY Office of Higher Education in Prison
The Office of Higher Education in Prison contributes to SUNY’s mission of providing “the people of New York educational services of the highest quality, with the broadest possible access”. At SUNY, we believe in educational equity for incarcerated New Yorkers and work to achieve fair and inclusive access for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons to quality higher education programs during incarceration and upon release into the community. SUNY is the largest provider of higher education prison programs in New York State with 16 campuses currently offering SUNY degrees in 24 state prisons and one federal facility.
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